A Mashup of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz

A Mashup of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz

The apocalypse comes to a small Kansas farm. Marauding witches terrorize survivors. Because women usually give up when faced with adversity, Auntie Em kills herself, leaving behind her young niece Dorothy and her little dog Toto. They are scared and starving and “each the other’s world entire.” Dorothy harbors hope that other survivors exist to the south. She and Toto begin following a yellow brick road through unknown lands. The Wicked Witch roasts a Munchkin on a spit for dinner. A flying monkey cuts off the Scarecrow’s arm and eats it. When Dorothy reaches the fragrant ocean, she succumbs to tuberculosis and dies on the beach. But at last Toto nears the end of the road. There he catches up to the Wizard of Oz, who pushes a shopping cart full of canned meats toward paradise.

One Thought on “A Mashup of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz

  1. Yesterday I promised my boss that I wouldn’t blog about him, but today I can’t resist posting his emailed response to the McCarthy mashup. See his brilliant additions below:

    “The ATOMIC? apocalypse FROM IRAQ? comes to a small Kansas farm. Marauding witches terrorize survivors. Because women usually give up when faced with adversity, Auntie Em kills herself, leaving behind her young niece Dorothy and her little dog Toto. They are scared and starving and “each the other’s world entire.” BUT THEY ARE ALSO FEARFUL OF BECOMING FOOD FOR OTHERS, IN THAT THOSE WHO SURVIVED THE ATOMIC ATTACK HAVE TURNED CANNIBALS? Dorothy harbors hope that other survivors
    exist to the south. She and Toto begin following a yellow BONE brick road–CALLED “THE ROAD?”–through unknown lands. ALWAYS THEY ARE ON THE WATCH FOR OLD TUNA FISH CANS AND NEW CANNIBALS?. The Wicked Witch roasts a Munchkin on a spit for
    dinner. A flying monkey cuts off the Scarecrow’s arm and eats it. When Dorothy reaches the fragrant PACIFIC ocean, she TURNS TO TOTO, DECLARES ‘WE’RE NOT IN KANSAS ANY MORE, TOTO,” AND THEN? succumbs to THE tuberculosis SHE CAUGHT AROUND ARKANSAS? and dies on the beach. But at last Toto–BY NOW AN EVEN SMALLER DOG THAN HE WAS AT THE START OF THE JOURNEY?– nears the end of The Road. There he catches up to the Wizard of Oz, A REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN [OR GUY] NAMED FRANK MORGAN? who pushes a shopping cart full of canned meats toward paradise.”

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